Centre for Cities is an independent, non partisan, research and policy institute committed to improving the performance of UK cities.

February 08, 2013

Net effects: how fast is your city's broadband?

In a super connected world access to fast broadband is not a
luxury any more; in many cases it is a matter of business survival. So how do
British cities vary on their provision of this essential XXI century
infrastructure?

The answer is a lot.
Using data released by Ofcom last year, in Cities Outlook 2013 we
looked at digital connectivity in cities across the UK and found great
disparities in the availability of superfast broadband. This may have significant
implications for business location choices and economic performance of cities.
But looking at connectivity patterns within cities can tell us even more.

Comparisons of two Core Cities – Manchester and Bristol –
and two smaller cities – York and Brighton - show that broadband speed varies a lot across these
cities and that city centres do not necessarily offer the best digital
infrastructure.

Broadband
speeds in Manchester city centre in particular tend to be slower than many
other areas within Greater Manchester, and a similar pattern can
be found in Brighton, where the fastest connections are outside the city core. This is not the case in
Bristol or
York,
where city centre broadband speeds are stronger than in the wider area.

Reasons for poor digital infrastructure in city centres are
likely to vary on a case by case basis. But this should be a concern for any city. As the economy continues to shift towards
knowledge intensive sectors, physical infrastructure - road and rail - will
remain important, but digital infrastructure – broadband – is likely to become
an ever more important part of a city’s offer to businesses, workers and
residents. Strong city centres, where businesses can exchange knowledge and
share ideas will be increasingly critical. Poor broadband coverage and speed may
well be a reason why some businesses choose one city over another, or leave the
core for out-of-town offices, thus stripping the city of its main strengths –
proximity and agglomeration.

This year we are taking a closer look at the economic performance
of UK city centres and quality of digital infrastructure will be one of the
factors we will explore in more detail.